One of the things I had been most excited about in anticipation of my ten days in Paris, was the opportunity to see an exhibition at the Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (MEP), (aka, ‘European House of Photography’), which was a visual adaptation of 2022 Nobel Prize winner for literature, Annie Ernaux’s works, by way of photographs selected from the permanent collection of the MEP.
In 2023 Ernaux had visited New Delhi for the book fair and I had been invited to the French embassy for a reception, but was unable to attend and therefore missed meeting her … however, the Ambassador at the time gifted me a signed copy of one of her books, ‘Les Annees,’ (The years), which I have since read and responded to somewhat profoundly, both as a thinker and writer, but I shall refrain from elaborating since it isn’t quite appropriate to an article on travel and food; instead I will simply translate the little note she wrote, for the Ambassador had told her of my acute suffering in the aftermath of losing of my father.
“For Diya,
With deep sympathy,
This subjective panorama of history”
Annie Ernaux
Above: The cover (left) and author’s note (right)
The exhibition was all at once a ‘brutalist’, surgical and moving arrangement of literature and photography, Ernaux’s words, thoughts and insights reflected almost blindingly in each and every image, rendering the curation an unequivocal triumph … below are a few images I took.
Above: Images from ‘Exteriors’ exhibition at MEP, Paris
I lingered for a long time, reading, looking and staring at the visual depictions of the authors descriptions, and just as I was about to leave, found myself drawn into another room of the museum, by a series of striking images of fashion icon Lisa Fonssagrivves-Penn, taken by some of the most famous photographers of the 20th century, including Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, Frances Mclaughlin-Gill etc.
Even though I am far removed from being a ‘fashionista’, the images were mesmerizing, and thus I wandered through the exhibition, transported to a time when the female gender still defined itself by subtlety, grace, restraint and mystery.
Above: Images from photography exhibition of fashion icon Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn
But now, I must rewind to just before my arrival at the MEP, and tell you about my choice of venue for that wonderfully English habit known as elevenses (i.e. a short break in the day at 11 am for a light refreshment) and how marvelously precocious it felt to indulge in a quintessentially English habit in France … if any of you have read my recipe for the Modern French Millefeuille, (section ‘Treat of the Week’) you might remember the little story I recounted, mentioning at the end that there was one place left in my search for the perfect millefeuille in Paris, by which I was referring to the terrace of ‘Du geste a l’emotion’ (From gesture to emotion), Café & Patisserie located in one of the most magical spots in Paris, ‘Place Dauphine’ … if you have never been, please go, even if just to wander about, for it is a slice of heaven on French soil … unfortunately, my images below really don’t do the place justice, for not only am I unskilled but was far too overwhelmed by the beauty around me to be able to focus … I hadn’t been back to Place Dauphine for quite a number of years.
Above: Images of Place Dauphine, Paris
‘Du Geste a l’emotion’ is the baby of two mighty pastry Chefs, Jeffrey Cagnes and Philippe Conticini, which was born over a ‘praline Babka’ … as much as every pastry and bakery item there is reputed to be exceptional, I had read specifically about the a-la-minute millefeuille, but alas, it wasn’t available the day I went, and so I settled for a Saint honore …
… except that this wasn’t just any St. Honore – the pastry cream as light as cotton candy, the biscuit base, as opposed to the traditional puff pastry one, coated with gooey salted caramel, a lone choux bun crowning the pastry in perfect proportion to the rest of the elements – it was a veritable work of art, and for those with a gourmet sweet tooth, a must eat in this lifetime.
Needless to say, I will go back time and time again, until I have made my way through the entire pastry and bakery menu.
Clockwise from top left: Entrance to ‘Du Geste a l’emotion’ Patisserie, Inside of Patisserie, Tarte St. Honore from Du geste a l’emotion served on the central courtyard of Place Dauphine, Salted caramel interior of tarte St. Honore
But now on to my main meal of that day, dinner, which followed a second visit to the theatre, this time to watch what turned out to be a rather dark comedy that gave me an even larger than usual appetite …
Above: Images of Theatre Hebertot, Paris
… Fortunately, my choice of restaurant was not only based on my curiosity about an old- school traditional French bistro named Allard that dates back to 1932 and is now part of Chef Alain Ducasse’s empire, but also on the fact that there were two dishes I had seen on the menu that I was absolutely dying to eat: frogs legs, and yet again veal sweetbreads … while I had also planned on choosing for my date that evening, just so that I could taste more of the dishes on the menu, he announced to me that he had become more or less vegetarian, which for a Frenchman is an absolute anomaly …
Above: Images of Restaurant Allard, Paris
… I blame the time he spent in India for such an aberration, which unfortunately leaves me with only two meaty dishes to report on, both of which were very simply outstanding, (for those who have adventurous but fretful palates, do try the frog’s legs at Allard, in all their buttery and garlicky glory, for they are truly delicious and as harmless as chicken) as was my companion’s tarragon flavored morel stew with Noilly prat infused fava bean foam, all of it washed down with a wonderful Bordeaux, Chateau Couhins-Lurton Acte II, 2019, which even though young, possessed an old soul … I had met the late owner Andre Lurton several times with my parents, and tasted some great vintages with him, and thus once more, there was that wonderful taste of melancholy in every sip …
Top Row from left: Gougeres and Cold Cucumber salad amuse Bouches, My pal deliberating over the wine, Bottle of Chateau-Couhins Lurton, Acte II, 2019
Middle Row from left: Veal sweetbreads, Serving of Frog’s legs, Whole Dish of Frog’s legs
Bottom Row from left: Affogato dessert, Morel Stew
… last but certainly not least, an affogato dessert, with both ice-cream and whipped cream chaperoning the espresso, was a pretty lip-smacking finale … oh, and I nearly forgot, the gougeres and cold cucumber salad amuse bouches were an absolute treat too, with which I could not resist a crisp Chablis aperitif … as Hemingway wrote,
“ … wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”
Moreover, Allard is charm personified, the atmosphere so convivial and intimate that the diners at different tables invariably end up conversing with each other … for a casual but chic, and typically Parisian night out with a wonderful mélange of both locals and foreigners, I highly recommend Allard, and fear not, for those with conservative palates, there are far more accessible dishes on offer.
Above: Boutique Chapon, Rue du Bac, Paris, the Chocolate Mousse Bar, a cone of chocolate mousse
The next day, after a reconnaissance mission to one of my favorite gourmet stores in Paris, l’epicerie du bon marche, to make sure that two delicacies were available for me to take back to Delhi, I made a brief stop at Chocolate Boutique Chapon to check out the chocolate mousse bar, which for lovers of chocolate mousse, is akin to a religious ceremony, the aerated yet creamy texture an unequivocal triumph, not to be taken for granted since it isn’t easy to get right.
Top Row from left: Entrance to food section of Bon Marche department store, Main Entrance to department store, Front of Department store
Middle Row: Images from inside food section of Bon Marche department store
Bottom row from left: The smoked eel I buy, The Foie Gras I buy
L’epicerie du Bon Marche is like the food halls of Selfridges and Harrods in London, where you will find items such as smoked eel – a sinfully delicious delicacy that I have introduced to a few friends in New Delhi and they have been completely and forever seduced – which is not easily available elsewhere, as well as a very good quality of raw foie gras, deveined and ready for slicing and pan-frying … these are the two principal items I buy at L’epicerie du Bon Marche, and for my Cheese, I unfailingly go to Barthelemy, but do plan on a little infidelity next time by paying a visit to Laurent Dubois since it is from the latter that La Tour D’argent restaurant services its cheese trolley … this time at Barthelemy, I even bought some packaged Poilane toast to take back to Delhi … for those who don’t know, Poilane is the granddaddy of sourdough, about which you can and must read plenty online.
Above: Images of Barthelemy Cheese Shop, 51 rue de Grenelle, Paris 75007
Above: Image of Poilane Toast, Available at Barthelemy
That evening I went to have a drink with my auctioneer friend at his gorgeous apartment on rue de Seine, Paris 6th, the rooms all situated around a courtyard with dense foliage, each one overflowing with the most magnificent antiques from around the world …
Above: Images of The Auctioneer’s apartment
… my author-cum-politician friend then joined us, and the auctioneer took us to his local, an Italian joint by the name of Il Vicolo where I ate a most divine risotto with cream of artichoke, herring roe and lamb sweetbreads … but even my starter of fried parmesan & Nebrodi black ham croquettes, the auctioneers burrata & pearl barley salad and the lamb chops that both gentlemen chose for their main course were, each one, equally accomplished …
Top Row from left: Risotto of Cream of Artichoke, herring roe and lamb sweetbreads, Fried Parmesan & black Nebrodi Ham croquettes
Bottom Row from left: Lamb chops, Burrata & pearl barley salad, my auctioneer friend looking at his salad somewhat suspiciously
I must say that I have rarely been disappointed by Italian food in France, for the French really do love everything Italian, quite in spite of the fact that their love is painfully unrequited … coming up, in Part 3, the last of Paris on Musee Deyrolle, all about its iconic owner and old friend of mine, Prince Louis de Broglie, his Paris pad and my weekend in Florence, Italy, to celebrate my imminent 50th birthday.